Upward and Inward

photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #196

“It can be but myself I crucify.”

At this point in the Course in Miracles workbook lessons, we are repeatedly told that we are on the brink of realizing salvation, revelation, heaven. The belief systems we have put into practice throughout the years may begin to talk back to us in protest of our new way of thinking. Fear not! We have the tools to stand fast in our knowledge. We have each other as reminders in support. We have inner knowing to tap into for verification on our path. We can move onward, upward, inward, fearless and secure in Love!

Mary Baker Eddy quotes: “Mortal error will vanish in a moral chemicalization. This mental fermentation has begun, and will continue until all errors of belief yield to understanding. Belief is changeable, but spiritual understanding is changeless.” S&H Page 96:21-24

The Gratitude Walk

photo from Arthur Lau-Sed

ACIM Workbook Lesson #195

“Love is the way I walk in gratitude.”

I am loving this workbook lesson today! Having had a prosthetic device for a couple of months which is enabling me to walk unaided, after a few months of not being able to do so, I am particularly grateful to be walking -- and especially to be walking in gratitude! Today's ACIM topic is not about being grateful to God, but because of God! God is Love. To experience and demonstrate this Love, nothing is required of us other than our awareness of it. When facing circumstances which feel difficult, I will look at them through the lens of Love, honestly wanting to know the Truth of the situation. In gratitude I open my eyes to whatever may be revealed!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"We should examine ourselves and learn what is the affection and purpose of the heart, for in this way only can we learn what we honestly are.”

Science & Health Pages 8:28-31

Radical Reliance on Love

photo by Arthur Lau-Sed

ACIM Workbook Lesson #194

“I place the future in the Hands of God.”

I used to be a worrier. I remember the oppressive feeling. When I would be waiting for my husband to come home from work, if he was late, the worry was so intense that I couldn't stand myself! I remember at one point I just started thinking that the worst had happened, that this truck-driving man had died on the road and I'd never see him again. This seemed to be easier to accept than all the what-ifs involved in the waiting and wondering game. Whew, am I glad that's over! Today I only want to know one thing: what it means to be a creation of divine Mind. Having this radical reliance on Love allows me to release worry and fear of the future. It is stated in today's ACIM lesson that if we see this yielding for the deliverance it is, we won't be hesitant to give it our wholehearted effort in order to make it a part of us. Eventually, trusting this Truth will permeate our every thought and action, allowing us to see the world as a friend rather than the opposite. What a beautiful Life!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“It is the prerogative of the ever-present, divine Mind, and of thought which is in rapport with this Mind, to know the past, the present, and the future.”

Science & Health Page 84:11-13

I Will Forgive and This Will Disappear

photo from Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #193

“All things are lessons God would have me learn.”

I am learning to let go of illusions. Some of these illusions are perceived hurts and grudges which tend to accumulate until they form a dam keeping us from a more wholesome way of thinking. Sitting down to write these words, I looked back at last year’s daily writing. In it I spoke of seeing someone whom I held grudges toward and wondering what she thought of me. At that time, I vowed to release those feelings. As I read the words, I had absolutely no idea who or what I was referring to! I have changed my mind about that situation — whatever it was! Yippee!!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Take heart, dear sufferer, for this reality of being will surely appear sometime and in some way. There will be no more pain, and all tears will be wiped away. When you read this, remember Jesus' words, 'The kingdom of God is within you.' This spiritual consciousness is therefore a present possibility.”

Science & Health Page 573:28-2

Strength Through Forgiveness

photo from Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #192

“I have a function God would have me fill.”

Forgiveness is the function I am to fill. How often have you heard it said that we must remember some horrendous event, that we must never forget? Throughout the ages, we've heard these words (or something similar) so often that we think there is a mandate telling us that this is the way to handle our hurt. From the Holocaust to 9/11, these words resound over and over in memory. By releasing this type of fear and hatred and disgust, we clear the way for something else to appear: the reality of our Being, the wholeness of this Life, the beauty of Love. This is not a weakness, but the ultimate strength. Today I want to build on this until it overtakes me. I want to know Truth until illusion is pushed away. In mercy I find freedom.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Not to avenge one's self upon one's enemies is the command of almighty wisdom; and we take this to be a safer guide than the promptings of human nature. To know that a deception dark as it is base has been practiced upon thee, and yet not to avenge thyself, is to do good to thyself; is to take a new standpoint whence to look upward; is to be calm amid excitement, just amid lawlessness, and pure amid corruption."

Miscellaneous Writings Page 228

Hearing Heartbeats

"Ozark Rainforest"
photo by Arthur Lau-Sed

ACIM Workbook Lesson #191

“I am the holy Son of God Himself.”

What barriers am I putting up which keep me from seeing my reality as the experience of divine Mind? This is something I will think about today, because it could be anything. I’m reading a novel right now with the intriguing title of “The Art of Hearing Heartbeats”. The main character loses his eyesight when he’s a young boy. One of his mentors tells him that the true essence of things is invisible to the eyes. He says the eyes distract us as they love to be dazzled, and that we rely too heavily on them and neglect our other senses — and he means more than hearing or taste or smell. “I’m talking about the organ within us for which we have no name. Let us call it the compass of the heart.” So today I will let barriers fall and intuition rise, knowing in Truth I’m the holy reflection of Love.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“God creates neither erring thought, mortal life, mutable truth, nor variable love.”

Science & Health Page 503:24-25

From Pain to Joy - July 9, 2015

photo from Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #190

“I choose the joy of God instead of pain.”

I witnessed a simple example of pain and guilt being turned into forgiveness and joy. I went for a car ride with a friend. As I got in she asked how I was and I said, "To quote my dear friend, Richard, it's the best day of my life!" She said, "Oh, I've only said that once, and I've regretted it for 20 years." She explained that she had been working in a restaurant and had said it was the best day of her life to a young couple when they asked how she was. Later on, she found out that they had just lost a baby, and she felt so guilty about feeling good that she not only never said that again, but has remembered it, with guilt, all these years. When she finished telling her tale, I laughed. I told her that if they were out eating and drinking that soon after their loss, they must have wanted happy diversion or else they would have stayed home. My sweet friend was thrilled! She said that after all that time of feeling guilty, it was suddenly gone! So there was a perfect, simple example of how a little shift in perception can turn pain to joy. Woo-hoo!!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Willingness to become as a little child and to leave the old for the new, renders thought receptive of the advanced idea. Gladness to leave the false landmarks and joy to see them disappear, — this disposition helps to precipitate the ultimate harmony." 

Science & Health Page 323:32-4